Portable drive means supported on a skier

Abstract

A portable drive for coaction with a band is provided with a motor driven drive roller for transporting the drive along the band. The drive roller with coacting structure for maintaining operative coaction with the band are settable to two main positions, viz, an operative and a neutral position, the band in the neutral position running freely while the drive roller with coacting structure being cantilevered so that the band can be freely taken aside for disengagement of the band from the drive, or for inserting the band from the side over the drive roller to coact therewith after resetting to the operative position. The inventive drive is primarily intended to be attachable to a skier allowing him to be towed up a hill along a band which is anchored at its upper end to a tree, for example.

I claim: 
     
       1. A personal ski lift comprising a frame, means to support the frame on the body of a skier, a motor-driven drive roller carried by the frame and contacting a stationary flexible elongated member disposed along the desired path of travel of the skier along a slope to be ascended, a tension roller contacting said flexible member adjacent said drive roller, said flexible member removably engaging each of said drive and tension rollers to permit removal of said ski lift from contact with said flexible member, means mounted on the frame and operable by said skier for selectively establishing and releasing driving connection between said flexible member and the drive roller by movement of one of said drive and tension rollers toward or away from each other, whereby when said driving connection is established between said flexible member and said drive roller, said skier is towed along said flexible member. 
     
     
       2. A personal ski lift as claimed in claim 1, further including guide means which cooperates with said tension roller to cause said flexible member to contact substantially the entire circumference of said drive roller. 
     
     
       3. A personal ski lift as claimed in claim 2, wherein said guide means comprises a guide roller positioned adjacent said drive roller. 
     
     
       4. A personal ski lift as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means mounted on the frame and operable by said skier for selectively establishing and releasing driving connection between said flexible member and the drive roller by movement of one of said drive and tension rollers toward or away from each other comprises lever means which coacts with a spring-biased tension roller to cause said tension roller to clamp said flexible member between said tension roller and said drive roller. 
     
     
       5. A personal ski lift as claimed in claim 3, wherein each said rollers are cantilevered from said support and have parallel axes which permits said flexible member to be withdrawn from engagement with said rollers.